Afghanistan’s Morality Ministry Detains Barbers Over Beard-Trimming Practices

Image: Jihad Watch

Taliban morality enforcers have detained at least eight barbers in Afghanistan’s Parwan province over the past week for allegedly violating strict grooming rules, according to multiple local sources who spoke on Thursday.

Five sources said the arrests were carried out by officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which oversees the enforcement of the group’s moral code. The barbers were accused of shaving beards, trimming them closely, or carving beard lines—practices the Taliban deem unacceptable under their interpretation of Islamic law.

In addition to detaining the men, Taliban officials reportedly sealed their barber shops and informed the barbers that they could be held in custody for up to one month. The sources added that these actions followed earlier warnings issued by the authorities, in which barbers across the province were explicitly instructed not to shave, trim, or style customers’ beards in any manner that contradicts Taliban guidelines.

Under the Taliban’s morality regulations, shaving beards, shaping beard lines, and adopting certain hairstyles are classified as imitations of foreigners. The group maintains that such practices violate Islamic principles and are therefore prohibited, reinforcing the broader campaign by Taliban authorities to strictly regulate personal appearance and public behavior across the country.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)